Converter for converting energy to be recovered and electricity generator

Abstract

A converter for converting a variation in energy to be recovered, the converter including: a transducer layer extending essentially parallel to a reference plane and configured to transform the variation in the energy to be recovered into a mechanical deformation, the transducer layer comprising: a plurality of first blocks made from a magnetostrictive or shape-memory material, the first blocks being delimited in relation to one another by side edges, and regions that do not contain the material of the first block, the regions being inserted between the side edges of the first blocks; and a piezoelectric layer secured to the transducer layer. Each of the first blocks has a preferential axis of deformation parallel to the reference plane.

1 - 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . A converter of a variation of energy to be harvested into a potential difference between two electrical terminals, the variation of energy to be harvested being a variation of magnetic field or of temperature, the converter comprising:
 a transducer layer extending substantially parallel to a reference plane and configured to transform the variation of energy to be harvested into a mechanical deformation, this transducer layer comprising:
 a number of first blocks of magnetostrictive material or material with shape memory, these first blocks being delimited from one another by lateral edges; and 
 regions without any first block, these regions being inserted between the lateral edges of these first blocks; 
   a piezoelectric layer formed from a single block of piezoelectric material or from a number of blocks of piezoelectric material attached alongside one another and fixed to one another with no degree of freedom to behave mechanically as a single block of material, this piezoelectric layer having inner and outer faces parallel to the reference plane, the inner face being fixed with no degree of freedom onto most of the transducer layer to undergo a mechanical stress exerted by this transducer layer;   a first and a second electrode of electrically conductive material extending substantially parallel to the reference plane along at least one of the faces of the piezoelectric layer to show an excess of electrical charges on one of these electrodes in response to the mechanical stress undergone by the piezoelectric layer;   wherein the first blocks each have a preferential axis of deformation parallel to the reference plane.   
     
     
         17 . The converter as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein the first blocks are produced in magnetostrictive material and have magnetostriction coefficients of a same sign and the transducer layer comprises second blocks of magnetostrictive material inserted between lateral edges of the first blocks, the magnetostriction coefficients of the second blocks being of a sign opposite to the magnetostriction coefficients of the first blocks. 
     
     
         18 . The converter as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein the first blocks are produced in material with shape memory and all the first blocks are uniformly distributed about an axis of rotation at right angles to the reference plane and their preferential axes of deformation intersect on the axis of rotation. 
     
     
         19 . The converter as claimed in  claim 16 , further comprising a second piezoelectric layer symmetrical to the first piezoelectric layer relative to a plane of symmetry parallel to the reference plane, this plane of symmetry being situated at mid-height of the transducer layer. 
     
     
         20 . The converter as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein each first block has, in a plane parallel to the reference plane, a form factor greater than two. 
     
     
         21 . The converter as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein the preferential axes of deformation are distributed along at least two different directions of the reference plane. 
     
     
         22 . The converter as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein all the first blocks are uniformly distributed about an axis of rotation at right angles to the reference plane or all the first blocks are uniformly distributed on a translation axis parallel to the reference plane. 
     
     
         23 . The converter as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein at least one of the first blocks comprises a lattice of wires parallel to the reference plane, the wires of this lattice being produced in magnetostrictive material or in material with shape memory. 
     
     
         24 . An electricity generator comprising:
 a converter of a variation of energy to be harvested into a potential difference between two electric terminals, the variation of energy to be harvested being a variation of magnetic field or of temperature; and   a set of a number of first sources of energy to be harvested fixed to one another with no degree of freedom, each first source locally generating energy to be harvested;   wherein the converter conforms to  claim 16 ; and   wherein at least one of the set and of the converter can be displaced alternately, within the reference plane, between:
 a first position in which the first blocks are each arranged facing a first respective source of energy to be harvested, and 
 a second position in which the regions are each arranged facing a first respective source and each first block is situated mid-way between two first sources. 
   
     
     
         25 . The generator as claimed in  claim 24 , wherein:
 the first blocks are produced in magnetostrictive material and have magnetostriction coefficients of a same sign,   the first sources are sources of magnetic field fixed to one another with no degree of freedom, each first source being configured, in the first position, to generate, within the first block facing, field lines parallel to the reference plane and to the preferential axis of deformation of this first block.   
     
     
         26 . The generator as claimed in  claim 25 , wherein the set further comprises second sources of magnetic field, inserted between the first sources, these second sources facing a first respective block in the second position, each second source being configured, in the second position, to generate, within the first block, facing field lines parallel to the reference plane and at right angles, to within plus or minus 10°, to the preferential axis of deformation of this first block. 
     
     
         27 . The generator as claimed in  claim 25 , wherein the transducer layer comprises second blocks of magnetostrictive material inserted between lateral edges of the first blocks, each second block being situated, in the second position, facing a first respective source of magnetic field, the magnetostriction coefficients of the second blocks being of a sign opposite the magnetostriction coefficients of the first blocks. 
     
     
         28 . The generator as claimed in  claim 24 , wherein:
 the first blocks are produced in material with shape memory,   the first sources are sources of heat fixed to one another with no degree of freedom, each first source being configured, in the first position, to heat the first block facing more than the regions situated on either side of this first block.   
     
     
         29 . The generator as claimed in  claim 24 , wherein the set of sources can be displaced in rotation, relative to the converter, about an axis of rotation at right angles to the reference plane to pass between the first and second positions, and the first sources are uniformly distributed about the axis of rotation. 
     
     
         30 . The generator as claimed in  claim 24 , wherein the set of sources can be displaced in translation, relative to the converter, along an axis of translation parallel to the reference plane to pass between the first and second positions, and the first sources are uniformly distributed along this axis of translation.